The next version of Apple's operating system will allow developers to …

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Developers using the latest test build of Mac OS X 10.6 have identified added frameworks for pinpointing a Mac's location as well as interpreting and using multi-touch gestures, according to a report from AppleInsider.

Developers have discovered that Snow Leopard now has the CoreLocation framework that originally appeared in the iPhone OS. Since current Macs don't contain GPS hardware, it uses WiFi triangulation similar to the original iPhone, which lacked a GPS radio. The framework also opens the possibility that location information could be gleaned from 3G cellular modems by triangulating cell tower locations, and would be ready should future Macs include GPS hardware.

Also, the latest test build includes a framework for including multi-touch gesture support in third-party applications. This will allow developers to easily interpret multi-touch gestures on the trackpads of MacBooks and MacBook Pros and use them for custom features and commands, much like Safari and iPhoto currently do.

This type of feature cross-pollination is relatively trivial for Apple to implement since Mac OS X and iPhone OS are based on the same foundation. It also means that developers should be able to easily adopt these features as well.